I got curious as to the distribution of posts by country, so I thought I'd investigate. I got a list of UN countries and income and population data from Wikipedia, and I searched for diaries or stories mentioning each country in the last year.
Results and discussion below
We blog about EVERY country in the UN!
Nnote that not all these searches were done on the same day, so, although each covers 1 year, it's not EXACTLY the same year.
I did my best with ambiguous country names, some could not be disentangled (Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo). Chad also got the voting fraud diaries, Turkey got the bird, the meat and the term of abuse, so I listed it as NA.
<th>Country</th><th>Population (mil) </th><th>GDP per cap</th><th>Diaries</th>
Afghanistan | 29.8 | 1310 | 5171 |
Albania | 3.1 | 6259 | 40 |
Algeria | 32.9 | 7189 | 120 |
Andorra | 0.07 | 26,800 | 7 |
Angola | 15.9 | 2813 | 77 |
Antigua Barbuda | 0.08 | 11523 | 17 |
Argentina | 40.0 | 14838 | 275 |
Armenia | 3.21 | 4270 | 44 |
Australia | 20.6 | 32,220 | 665 |
Austria | 8.30 | 37,117 | 173 |
Azerbaijan | 8.41 | 4.61 | 78 |
Bahamas | 0.323 | 20,076 | 44 |
Bahrain | 0.70 | 20,500 | 106 |
Bangladesh | 147 | 2100 | 168 |
Barbados | 0.28 | 17,610 | 17 |
Belarus | 9.76 | 7700 | 61 |
Belgium | 10.4 | 31,400 | 198 |
Belize | 0.291 | 7832 | 24 |
Benin | 8.44 | 1176 | 14 |
Bhutan | 0.672 | 3921 | 19 |
Bolivia | 8.86 | 2817 | 144 |
Bosnia Herz. | 4.16 | 6159 | 301 |
Botswana | 1.765 | 11,410 | 30 |
Brazil | 188 | 8584 | 520 |
Brunei | 0.374 | 24826 | 12 |
Bulgaria | 7.73 | 9600 | 94 |
Burkina Faso | 13.2 | 1264 | 11 |
Burundi | 7.54 | 739 | 24 |
Cambodia | 14.1 | 2399 | 218 |
Cameroon | 16.3 | 2421 | 36 |
Canada | 32.8 | 34273 | 2075 |
Cape Verde | 0.42 | 6418 | 5 |
Cent. Afr. Rep. | 4.04 | 1128 | 63 |
Chad | 1.26 | 1519 | 306 |
Chile | 16.4 | 11,937 | 317 |
China | 1316 | 1709 | 3358 |
Colombia | 45.6 | 7565 | 166 |
Comoros | 0.79 | 1660 | 3 |
Dem. Rep. Congo | 59.3 | 774 | 36 |
Rep. Congo | 3.99 | 1369 | 43 |
Costa Rica | 4.32 | 11,400 | 80 |
Croatia | 4.55 | 14,285 | 53 |
Cuba | 11.4 | 3500 | 816 |
Cyprus | 0.704 | 23451 | 75 |
Czech Republic | 10.3 | 19,343 | 70 |
Denmark | 5.43 | 34,740 | 249 |
Djibouti | 0.793 | 2070 | 20 |
Domenica | 0.069 | 6520 | 4 |
Dominican Republic | 9.18 | 7611 | 94 |
Ecuador | 13.2 | 4316 | 84 |
Egypt | 78.9 | 4317 | 891 |
El Salvador | 7.10 | 4700 | 197 |
Equatorial Guinea | 0.504 | 16,507 | 22 |
Eritrea | 4.40 | 1000 | 47 |
Estonia | 1.30 | 17,802 | 52 |
Ethiopia | 75.1 | 823 | 145 |
Fiji | 0.91 | 6375 | 32 |
Finland | 5.27 | 31,208 | 130 |
France | 62.9 | 29,316 | 1775 |
Gabon | 1.38 | 7055 | 22 |
Gambia | 1.52 | 2002 | 19 |
Georgia | 4.66 | 3618 | 97 |
Germany | 82.4 | 30,578 | 2189 |
Ghana | 22.1 | 2643 | 65 |
Greece | 11.2 | 23,518 | 215 |
Grenada | 0.103 | 5000 | 66 |
Guatemala | 12.8 | 4155 | 171 |
Guinea | 9.40 | 2035 | 132 |
Guinea-Bissau | 1.58 | 736 | 7 |
Guyana | 0.751 | 4612 | 25 |
Haiti | 8.53 | 478 | 188 |
Honduras | 7.33 | 3009 | 84 |
Hungary | 10.1 | 17,405 | 133 |
Iceland | 0.31 | 35,586 | 79 |
India | 1103 | 3547 | 1618 |
Indonesia | 223 | 4458 | 343 |
Iran | 70.0 | 8400 | 7887 |
Iraq | 28.8 | 3600 | 30,883 |
Ireland | 4.23 | 40,610 | 424 |
Israel | 7.10 | 23,416 | 5002 |
Italy | 58.8 | 28,760 | 756 |
Ivory Coast | 17.6 | 1690 | 38 |
Jamaica | 2.65 | 3657 | 78 |
Japan | 128 | 32,640 | 1397 |
Jordan | 535 | 4825 | 1088 |
Kazakhstan | 15.2 | 8318 | 91 |
Kenya | 34.3 | 1445 | 193 |
Kiribati | 0.095 | 2356 | 6 |
(North) Korea | 23.1 | 1800 | 1828 |
(South) Korea | 48.6 | 20,590 | 638 |
Kuwait | 3.10 | 16,300 | 706 |
Kyrgyzstan | 5.26 | 2088 | 37 |
Laos | 5.93 | 2124 | 108 |
Latvia | 2.31 | 12,622 | 68 |
Lebanon | 3.87 | 6681 | 2724 |
Lesotho | 1.79 | 2113 | 9 |
Liberia | 3.28 | 1033 | 64 |
Libya | 5.63 | 11630 | 322 |
Liechtenstein | 0.03 | 25,000 | 12 |
Lithuania | 3.40 | 14,158 | 49 |
Luxembourg | 0.465 | 69,800 | 33 |
Macedonia | 2.03 | 7645 | 60 |
Madagascar | 18.6 | 905 | 17 |
Malawi | 12.9 | 596 | 18 |
Malaysia | 26.9 | 12,100 | 157 |
Maldives | 0.329 | 7675 | 10 |
Mali | 13.5 | 1154 | 21 |
Malta | 0.40 | 19,302 | 38 |
Marshall Islands | 0.06 | 1600 | 108 |
Mauritania | 3.07 | 2402 | 13 |
Mauritius | 1.14 | 1703 | 7 |
Mexico | 109 | 7298 | 2878 |
Micronesia | 0.108 | 2000 | 17 |
Moldova | 3.39 | 2374 | 18 |
Monaco | 0.03 | 21,000 | 18 |
Mongolia | 1.56 | 2175 | 32 |
Montenegro | 0.63 | 3800 | 24 |
Morocco | 33.2 | 4503 | 117 |
Mozambique | 19.7 | 1389 | 27 |
Myanmar | 50.5 | 1691 | 89 |
Namibia | 2.03 | 7101 | 30 |
Nauru | 0.01 | 5000 | 7 |
Nepal | 27.1 | 1675 | 82 |
Netherlands | 16.4 | 30,876 | 258 |
New Zealand | 4.15 | 24,797 | 258 |
Nicaragua | 5.49 | 3636 | 218 |
Niger | 14.0 | 872 | 473 |
Nigeria | 134 | 1188 | 259 |
Norway | 4.67 | 64,193 | 217 |
Oman | 2.57 | 16,862 | 100 |
Pakistan | 165 | 2829 | 1727 |
Palau | 0.02 | 9000 | 18 |
Panama | 3.23 | 7283 | 161 |
Papua New Guinea | 5.88 | 2418 | 12 |
Paraguay | 6.16 | 4555 | 103 |
Peru | 28.0 | 5983 | 134 |
Philippines | 85.2 | 4923 | 294 |
Poland | 38.5 | 14,400 | 372 |
Portugal | 10.6 | 19335 | 98 |
Qatar | 0.83 | 43,110 | 159 |
Romania | 22.8 | 8785 | 120 |
Russia | 142 | 11,041 | 1795 |
St. Kitts Nevis | 0.04 | 14,649 | 14 |
St Lucia | 0.16 | 5950 | 7 |
St. Vincent | 0.11 | 7493 | 23 |
Samoa | 0.185 | 6344 | 35 |
San Marino | 0.03 | 34,600 | 5 |
Sao Tome Principe | 0.157 | 1266 | 5 |
Saudi Arabia | 27.0 | 15,338 | 1445 |
Senegal | 11.7 | 1759 | 24 |
Serbia | 9.40 | 5348 | 113 |
Seychelles | 0.09 | 11,818 | 8 |
Sierra Leone | 5.52 | 903 | 49 |
Singapore | 4.48 | 28,368 | 123 |
Slovakia | 5.40 | 16,041 | 41 |
Slovenia | 2.01 | 21,911 | 30 |
Solomon Islands | 0.48 | 1894 | 31 |
Somalia | 8.23 | 600 | 401 |
South Africa | 47.4 | 12,161 | 736 |
Spain | 44.7 | 27,542 | 572 |
Sri Lanka | 20.7 | 4300 | 84 |
Sudan | 36.9 | 2522 | 555 |
Suriname | 0.44 | 5683 | 5 |
Swaziland | 1.03 | 5245 | 12 |
Sweden | 9.11 | 27,898 | 309 |
Switzerland | 7.25 | 50,532 | 287 |
Syria | 19.0 | 5348 | 1944 |
Tajikistan | 6.51 | 1388 | 37 |
Tanzania | 37.8 | 723 | 90 |
Thailand | 64.6 | 8300 | 224 |
(east) Timor | 0.95 | 400 | 70 |
Togo | 6.1 | 1700 | 15 |
Tonga | 0.10 | 7984 | 27 |
Trinidad Tobago | 1.30 | 16,800 | 33 |
Tunisia | 10.1 | 8255 | 71 |
Turkey | 72.6 | 7950 | NA |
Turkmenistan | 5.09 | 8088 | 55 |
Tuvalu | 0.01 | 1100 | 8 |
Uganda | 27.6 | 1700 | 133 |
Ukraine | 46.8 | 7156 | 206 |
Utd Arab Emirates | 4.49 | 36.08 | 333 |
United Kingdom | 60.2 | 30,466 | 2091 |
United States | 301 | 43,555 | 18,850 |
Uruguay | 3.41 | 9900 | 36 |
Uzbekistan | 26.6 | 1920 | 144 |
Vanuatu | 0.211 | 3346 | 5 |
Venezuela | 26.8 | 6186 | 615 |
Vietnam | 84.2 | 3025 | 3978 |
Yemen | 21.0 | 751 | 153 |
Zambia | 11.7 | 931 | 23 |
Zimbabwe | 13.0 | 2607 | 69 |
The country with the least diaries (3) was Comoros, the one with the most was Iraq (30,883), followed by the USA (18,850, but this is silly because nearly all diaries are about the USA even if they don't mention it). Next most was Iran (with 7887). Number of diaries was very skewed in distribution: The mean was 631, but the median was 84. GDP was also very skewed. To look at the relationship, I took the log of each:
not much going on.
But it's natural that we blog more about countries with more people, and indeed we do:
But, if we do a linear regression of log(number of diaries) on log(pop) and GDP, both are highly related:
Coefficients:
Estimate Std. Error t value Pr(>|t|)
(Intercept) - 1.689e+01 1.520e+00 - 11.118 < 2e-16 ***
log(pop) 7.728e+00 5.543e-01 13.943 <2e-16 *** <br>GDP 3.584e-05 7.178e-06 4.993 1.37e-06 ***
indicating that we blog more about higher income countries and more populous countries.